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The tech giant announced this week its most ambitious ecological plan. After launching its 'sustainable and social bonds' in August, it's worth noting that Google has been a pioneer in every ecological aspect; as early as 2007, it was the first major tech company to be 'carbon neutral,' and a decade later, it became the first company to generate renewable energy equivalent to 100% of the electricity it consumed.
This practice is common, due to the irregularity in renewable energy production patterns, and like most electricity providers, these tech giants choose to offset their consumption by generating enough renewable energy during the same time period.
Here we see an example from January to December, where the green peaks represent the supply of green energy, and the constant black line represents the electricity demand of its data centers. Visually, we can easily see the moments when Google generates more than it needs (and sends that excess energy to the grid for others to use) and when it needs more than it is able to generate.
Hence, they are now announcing their most ambitious goal: achieving total 24/7 self-sufficiency. They have called it 'Our Most Ambitious Decade.'
In a video lasting over 4 minutes, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, talks about Google's current situation: 'Every email you send in Gmail, every search you make on Google, every time you ask for directions on Google Maps, you’re getting what you expect, without increasing your carbon footprint on the planet. If you stop to think about all the infrastructure necessary to make that happen, it’s quite incredible.'
He also talks about their new plan for the new decade, where this new ambition to generate 100% of its renewable energy at all times will also create 10,000 jobs in the first five years, along with external investment that will enable others to consume this type of energy as well.
The plan mentions 5GW of carbon-free renewable energy by 2030, which will generate an additional 8,000 green jobs. Moreover, the tech giant projects to support more than 500 cities worldwide in reducing 1 GT of carbon annually (also with the goal of 2030).
Other additions include supporting data centers and shopping centers in applying AI to reuse energy, as well as working hand-in-hand with environmental agencies to reduce existing carbon on the planet through 'scientific' reforestation programs co-managed by Google.org.
Closer to its core business, Sundar talks about how Google has enabled filters in Google Maps for electric vehicle charging stations and shared bikes around the world. This includes the ability to search for flights on Google Flights, sorting results by 'CO2 emissions,' which, although we doubt how much it will be used, remains a symbol of all the other initiatives.
You can find this and much more information at g.co/carbonfree.
Omar Sequera
Technology Consultant specialized in energy
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